The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has named Victoria Sheehan (seen above), currently commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, as the new executive director of the Transportation Research Board effective December 5. [Above photo by the New Hampshire DOT] Sheehan, New Hampshire DOT’s commissioner for the last seven years, also served […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation has appointed Gloria Shepherd (seen above) as the executive director of the Federal Highway Administration. She will be the first woman and the first African American to hold this position at FHWA. [Above photo by the FHWA] Since 2007, Shepherd has served as FHWA’s associate administrator for planning, environment, and […]
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America’s rural transportation system is facing a $180 billion funding backlog in funding for needed repairs and improvements, according to a new report. [Above photo by the WVDOT] That report – entitled Rural Connections: Examining the Safety, Connectivity, Condition, and Funding Needs of America’s Rural Roads & Bridges and published by the nonprofit transportation research firm […]
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On October 20, the Federal Highway Administration provided $7.1 million in total funds to 25 state departments of transportation involved in the agency’s ‘Climate Challenge’ program. This is the program’s first funding cycle, FHWA said. [Above photo by the Oklahoma DOT] The agency launched its Climate Challenge initiative to quantify the impacts of sustainable pavements and […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued what it calls a “first of its kind” guide to conducting public involvement in transportation infrastructure projects for federal funding recipients and agency partners. [Above image via the USDOT] Dubbed “Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making,” the 105-page guidebook details ways state departments of transportation […]
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The National Renewable Energy Laboratory – a division of the U.S. Department of Energy – recently introduced a new online tool to help transportation planners design more efficient and environmentally friendly mobility systems for both urban and rural areas. [Above photo by the NREL] The NREL’s new Mobility Energy Productivity or MEP tool distills three major components […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued an update for its National Roadway Safety Strategy or NRSS, originally unveiled in January, as well as a new online dashboard that allows stakeholders and the public to track USDOT’s progress on its commitments made as part of the NRSS. [Above photo by USDOT] The NRSS provides concrete steps […]
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Autonomous vehicle developer May Mobility and transit technology provider Via recently launched the first national test of American Disability Act-compliant autonomous vehicles or AVs for rural transit service with the help of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. [Above photo by May Mobility] This AV project – which uses Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS minivans – aims to […]
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Construction recently began on the first leg of a new 10,000-mile broadband network to bring high-speed internet service to all Californians. [Above photo by Caltrans] Initial construction of this network began this month along State Route 67 in San Diego County; the first segment of a $3.8 billion statewide project known as the “middle mile” […]
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The North Carolina Department of Transportation said that more people rode its intercity passenger rail service, known as “NC by Train,” in September than any previous month in that rail division’s 32-year history. [Above photo by NCDOT] NC by Train’s Carolinian and Piedmont rail lines – operated by Amtrak – handled 48,488 passengers in September, […]
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